Restaurant chains and beef processors defended their products’ safety Thursday after a report that an ammonia treatment thought to kill harmful germs in meat isn’t as effective as the industry and regulators believed.
The New York Times reported Thursday, citing government and industry records, that E. coli and salmonella were found dozens of times in testing for the federal school lunch program on ammonia-treated beef from Beef Products Inc. The meat was not served.
A spokesman for Beef Products, based in Dakota Dunes, S.D., said samples mentioned in the report showed traces of E. coli in 0.06 percent of the company’s production, while USDA tests found E. coli in 1.03 percent of other beef samples.
“We intend to continue as a leader in food safety efforts,” spokesman Richard Jochum said in an e-mail. He said the company’s proprietary process that treats beef trimmings with ammonia to kill bacteria is just one part of its safety and testing regimen.
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